I want to ask the Taoiseach a quick question with a “Yes” or “No” answer. Does he understand the difference between lo-lo and ro-ro freight?

I do.

If he does, he will not, as part of Government, be endorsing the Irish Maritime Development Office, IMDO, report or review that was carried out for the Department of Transport. Given my 30 years in logistics management and my experience, let me explain what logistics management means. It is the part of the supply chain that plans, controls and implements the efficient and effective flow of goods and services from the point of origin to the point of consumption to meet the customer's requirements. That is not contained within the IMDO document. It is called the Irish Maritime Development Office but there is no development within this review - none. What we are doing is trying to replace an efficient and effective route, the land bridge, which currently takes 13.5 hours for the 150,000 freight movements per year. The IMDO did not feel the need to talk to the people who operate the trucks, the Irish Road Haulage Association, which had no part in this review. Yet, the office of the Minister for Transport can release a press statement, headlined: “Sufficient capacity on existing continental services to accommodate displaced landbridge traffic”. Nothing changes. We seemingly have capacity just sitting there, waiting for Brexit to happen.

I have been in the Dáil for nine months and not one word I have said has been listened to - not one. There is no solution in this report for the land bridge traffic. It is an utter disgrace that the people who are operating logistics management in this country were not even consulted. What it actually says is that, as an alternative to the 13.5 hours movement, we should use container ships that do not take trucks or drivers and that travel for 38 hours. It is not efficient and effective.

It is the worst solution I have ever seen. The Taoiseach, in his opening remarks in reply to Deputy McDonald, said that the Government is in the business of protecting jobs and businesses. That report does not do that for this country. It is beyond belief for me to sit here after nine months and have to read that and, worse still, to have it presented by the Department of Transport to my constituency colleagues who know something but certainly not as much as I do about transport. I am gravely concerned.

I thank the Deputy for raising this pertinent question. She also raised it the last time she contributed during Leaders’ Questions. I went back to my Cabinet colleagues and discussed it with them, particularly the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Robert Troy, who had a discussion with the Deputy in this House another occasion. We cannot divulge confidential discussions of the Cabinet subcommittee but this issue was raised there and has been raised outside of Government and across Government and Ministers.

We have been assured repeatedly, particularly in the context of Brexit preparedness, that sufficient capacity exists. My understanding was that the Irish Maritime Development Office, IMDO, had engaged with all stakeholders but the Deputy is clear that they have not engaged with the Irish Road Haulage Association, IRHA. I will raise that to make sure there are direct discussions with the IRHA.

It is too late.

It is never too late. The Minister for Transport and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, have been clear on the messaging to businesses to act now and to trial direct services to continental ports. The IMDO analysis is informing Government policy on this. Issues have been raised. I am anxious to make sure no stone is left unturned and all potential eventualities are catered for. For example, there could be significant difficulties with the land bridge, even if there is a normal Brexit as opposed to a no-deal Brexit. There will be issues. There will be a lot more around customs declarations and a lot more administration. There are a lot of issues there.

The IMDO says there is enough capacity on direct routes to continental Europe to take all of the current traffic from Ireland to continental Europe via the GB land bridge. Shipping companies are giving assurances to the IMDO on this matter and to the effect that if there is a demand for increased shipping capacity on direct routes, they will respond. They have indicated a number of options that can be quickly implemented by them if required, including using existing spare capacity, increasing sailings, redeploying ships and chartering vessels. Last week, we saw moves from Irish Ferries and Stena Line to increase direct sailings from Rosslare and Dublin to Cherbourg from January 2021. Departments and agencies have initiated a communications campaign to the sector, "ACT now and Prepare to Switch", to encourage importers and exporters to focus on the direct route option now.

Has the Deputy met the Minister for Transport? If not, we should organise that. I will ask the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, to meet the Deputy on this issue. She is raising issues that, from her perspective, are not satisfactorily responded to. I am anxious to get the issue brought to some resolution.

Everything that the Taoiseach has said is misinformed. The IMDO is not informing the Government; it is misinforming it. The IMDO says there is enough capacity on the direct route but I will inform the Taoiseach what happened on Saturday. Eight vehicles were left behind on the pier in Rosslare Europort. I happened to be there. It happened because the ship that should be in Rosslare is anchored off Holyhead because the crew have Covid and it is quarantined for two weeks. These are the issues that the IMDO do not inform the Taoiseach about. This is not the real world in here; out there is. The supply chain is going to be damaged irreparably if the Government does not take action and use the connectivity fund that we were told could be used if Brexit had a detrimental effect on certain sectors. It is not even our money. It is being provided by Europe for the atrocity that Brexit will visit upon us. We do not have direct ferries to the closest possible port. We have ro-ro ferries that sail twice a week.

All of the other ships that the IMDO are reporting on are in excess of that length of traffic. The sailing from Rosslare to Cherbourg is 18 hours. The sailing from Dublin to Zeebrugge is 38 hours. That is not an efficient, effective alternative.

I again thank the Deputy for her comments. I will ask the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minster of State with responsibility for international and road transport and logistics, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, to engage with her on the specifics and details as she sees them. I have received consistent reassurances from the Minister and the Minister of State that this issue is adequately prepared for. I am anxious that the points that the Deputy has raised are dealt with and resolved.

There will obviously be problems if Covid-19 arises in a given situation, independent of Brexit and anything else, and crews are knocked out by the virus and forced into isolation and so on. That can happen. Outside of those circumstances, we need to make sure that we are prepared for any eventuality that may emerge.